|
@RobertTheFat wrote:Trevor, we see your PM on TV from time to time, and all I can say is that you are lucky to have her. Speaking only for myself, because this is not a political forum, I am humiliated by the inevitable comparison to our situation.
Of course NZ and the USA have very different cultures, histories and political structures, so it's hard to make too many comparisons. That said, as far a her popularity and support goes, I sure feel that way and so do most of the country. She conducts herself with a discipline of politeness and compassion, while still delivering the hard decisions. She is an amazing communicator. There are inevitably groups who seek to find fault, or whose business interests, philosophies or political agendas run contrary to hers, but she doesn't rise to their baiting. We are well aware that she is almost unique in the world right now.
I am also blindsided that she is in an election year, releasing a budget this week and of course is struggling to get her daughter potty trained (she describes that as a total fail so far!). In her spare time, when she gets some, she likes to DJ! Her humanity and lack of aggrandisement really strike a chord with Kiwis, who are not into elitism.
I recall the previous female PM, Helen Clark getting on a normal flight from Wellington (the capital) to Auckland (our biggest city and her residence). She was just like any other passenger and apart from having a security guard in the seat directly behind her and her aid on either side she hung in for her coffee and cookies like the rest of us on the flight and waited her turn like everyone else to get off.
She was famous for using a Honda 50cc moped as her personal transport (with a security car behind). That is now in our Museum of Transport and Technology!
String of Pearls:
Canon EOS 80D EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM MkII, 300mm, f/10, 1/15 sec, ISO-200
We have been in drought for over 5 months now and are facing water restrictions as Auckland's reservoirs drop towards 40% - they are usually in the mid-70% range. This is our first long weekend since Easter and the last for 5 months. It is also the first holiday weekend since our lockdown restrictions were relaxed, so of course everyone wanted to get out of the city. However, in traditional fashion it is raining all weekend - not enough to ease our water problems (that will take weeks of solid rain) but it all helps. So we stayed home and have kept warm, dry and unstressed by traffic jams from holidaymakers.
I was working in my study when the sun rose at 7:40am and, looking out the double-glazed window, saw the water droplets in still conditions - too good to miss, so I shot through the window before the drops fell.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |